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AP Music Theory Course Description

Course Description:

Comprehensive written and aural music skills that facilitate students’ musical studies after high school. The course integrates aspects of melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, form, musical analysis, basic composition, and, to some extent, history and style.

Course Expectations

Students must have all materials daily, including but not limited to staff paper, notebook with pockets, and pencils ONLY. Students will complete written compositions and be available for out of class help/tutoring.

Reading Requirements:

Tonal Harmony (provided for in class lessons)

Assigned websites

Supplemental resources

Pre-requisites:

Students that have a background in music are at a slight advantage but formal training is not necessary. Students without musical training/backgrounds have succeeded in class but full understanding of fundamentals in beginning chapters is a must.

Assessment:

Classroom work provides differentiated assessment quickly which leads to summative evaluation at the end of each chapter. Practice AP Music Theory finals (released AP Central exams) give students understanding of how the AP final will formatted. Additional assessments will be given.

Homework / Nightly expectations

Review of lessons and practice methods thirty minutes each night to help solidify comprehension. Working with the material for short periods of time outside of class helps define a student’s individual understanding of the concepts.

​Advanced Placement Music Theory is designed to provide high school music students with fundamental written and aural music skills in preparation for the AP music theory exam. The ultimate goal of the course is to facilitate students’ musical studies after high school. The course “integrates aspects of melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, form, musical analysis, elementary composition, and, to some extent, history and style” (from the College Board Advanced Placement Music Theory Course Description). This course will build upon the student’s foundation of musical knowledge to prepare for the AP music theory examination, which encompasses the typical curriculum content of college freshman music major courses.

Prerequisites

The course is primarily for Juniors & Seniors who intend to major in some area of music in college; if class space allows, others may also be accepted. Students should be active in the school band, orchestra, or chorus program and must have intermediate to advanced musical skills. It is beneficial to be proficient on a keyboard. Students must be able to read and notate music at a basic level. Throughout the course, students will be asked to compose, arrange, perform, and listen to music. Students will be expected to complete written and internet based assignments outside of class. It is expected that all course participants will take the AP music theory test in May. Cobb County pays for the student to take one AP Test, and there is a charge to take multiple AP Tests. Test results are mailed to the student and selected colleges by mid-July. Certain colleges accept 4/5 scores as exemption to freshman theory.

review of previously covered material, turn in homeworkinstruction on new materialsight singingmelodic, harmonic, and/or rhythmic dictationhomework will be assigned daily and must be completed for the next class

Weekly Schedule (This schedule will be adapted to accommodate the progress of the class)

A. Four-voice realization of figured-bass symbols and Roman numerals. Students will have to do exercises where they create four part harmony and realization of a figured bass through Chapters five to nine. Students will take melodies, select appropriate chords and appropriately voice lead through a sound progression. B Composition of a bass line (with chord symbols) for a given melody C Writing a bass line for a given melody, implying appropriate harmony, and harmonization of a four part melody. Students will learn to write bass lines in relation to Chapters five through nine while learning how to voice triads, write root position four and three voice chords, and apply the harmonic progression through the creation of a bass line. D Composition and arranging of melodies conforming to fundamental rules. Students will be composing simple melodies, four part harmonies, and creating their own compositions that contain the needed fundamentals covered in each chapter as the study of triads and harmony are discussed.

Go to the following website https://sites.google.com/a/friscoisd.org/ap-music-theory-whs/dictation and complete four of the melodic dictation exercises and turn them in to the sub. The completed assignment is due by Friday, March 3, 2017.